In conventional oil and gas operations, a well is typically drilled to a desired depth with a drill string, which includes drill pipe and a drilling bottom hole assembly (BHA). Throughout this process, several drilling parameters generally affect drilling performance (i.e., rate at which the well is drilled to the desired depth). These parameters may include, among others, load applied to the BHA, rotational speed of the drill string being turned by a top drive or kelly drive, torque applied at the rotating BHA, and flow rate of drilling mud pumped through the drill string. The drilling performance are typically monitored throughout the drilling process.
Rig operators often rely on the drilling performance in order to make decisions and/or to make adjustments to the drilling parameters during drilling operation. However, this performance may fluctuate rapidly due to variability in the mechanical and hydraulic setup of the drilling rig and/or noise in sensors used to monitor the parameters. Due to the inherent variability of the drilling performance, it may be difficult for rig operators to detect the outset of drilling issues, especially when the drilling issues originate down-hole in response to geo-mechanical or lithological phenomena. Failure to react to such drilling issues in a timely manner frequently leads to low performance, and attempts to mitigate the issues, once recognized, are not always effective. Occasionally, mitigation attempts exacerbate the drilling issue, causing equipment damage, consumable losses, and extended periods of non-productive time.